The old Comando Supremo had a thread on 2GM Italian rations. A recent question by a member caused me to revisit this topic and to repost what I could find.
Rations is a question I have struggled with for many years and feel it requires proper research.
Besides the knowledge that Italian soldiers were provided rations prepared in field kitchens for the majority of their meals, and that canned rations were stamped A.M., what do we really know about the foods provided to frontline Italian soldiers?
Like all armies, the RE had a scale of issue that listed what soldier should receive over a period of time. These rations weren't normally provided directly to the soldiers, but issued in bulk to the unit for the unit mess detachment to prepare as meals. There were times when the rations were distributed to the soldiers, normally in very fluid combat situations when it was unlikely that the unit mess could successfully cook and distribute the meals.
The daily scale of rations for a soldier in Russia in 1941 was:
Bread 700 grs
Fresh meat 250 grs
or
Canned meat 1/2 can
Canned fish 100 grs
Pasta 220 grs
or
Rice 170 grs
Fat/lard 20 grs
Preserves 10 grs
Roast coffee 10 grs
Surrogate coffee 10 grs
Sugar 20 grs
Grated cheese 10 grs
Block cheese 40 grs
Marmalade 30 grs
Chocolate 30 grs
Cognac 3 cl.
Vine 25 cl.
Tobacco 5 grs
The cooks would make the meals using these items plus anything they could find locally.
Pista! Jeff
Rations is a question I have struggled with for many years and feel it requires proper research.
Besides the knowledge that Italian soldiers were provided rations prepared in field kitchens for the majority of their meals, and that canned rations were stamped A.M., what do we really know about the foods provided to frontline Italian soldiers?
Like all armies, the RE had a scale of issue that listed what soldier should receive over a period of time. These rations weren't normally provided directly to the soldiers, but issued in bulk to the unit for the unit mess detachment to prepare as meals. There were times when the rations were distributed to the soldiers, normally in very fluid combat situations when it was unlikely that the unit mess could successfully cook and distribute the meals.
The daily scale of rations for a soldier in Russia in 1941 was:
Bread 700 grs
Fresh meat 250 grs
or
Canned meat 1/2 can
Canned fish 100 grs
Pasta 220 grs
or
Rice 170 grs
Fat/lard 20 grs
Preserves 10 grs
Roast coffee 10 grs
Surrogate coffee 10 grs
Sugar 20 grs
Grated cheese 10 grs
Block cheese 40 grs
Marmalade 30 grs
Chocolate 30 grs
Cognac 3 cl.
Vine 25 cl.
Tobacco 5 grs
The cooks would make the meals using these items plus anything they could find locally.
Pista! Jeff